wilson



. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. Y S. H. WILSON. Machine for Twisting Spikes.

No; 227,084. Patented April 27, I880.

WITNESSES: INVBNTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. PHOTOLITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGFON. D C.

2 -Sh eets Sheet 2. v S. H. WILSON. Machine for Twisting Spikes.

No. 227,084. Patented April 27,1880.

WITNESSES: J INVENTOR:

- .fiZflMW N4 PETERS, PHOTO-LFIHOQRAPMER. WAsHgNGYoN, D. Cl

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS H. WILSON, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR TWISTING SPIKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 227,084, dated April 27,1880.

Application filed October 3, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAs H. WILSON, of Auburn, in the county of Cayugaand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inMachines for Twisting Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for giving to railwayand other spikes a uniform twist from the head to the point.

The invention comprehends an improved combination of rotary jaws,reciprocating diewheels. and feeding mechanism.

The invention consists, secondly, of grooved rollers jonrnaled in acarriage which is adapted to move toward and from the rotary jaws,whichreceive the spike, carry it to the jaws, and hold it against rotatingwhile the jaws are twisting it, the lower grooved roll having also avertical movement to allow the spike to pass between it and the upperroll, and to enable it to release the spike after the twist is put init.

The invention consists, thirdly, of a plunger for forcing the spike fromthe feeding-trough between the grooved rolls.

The invention consists, lastly, of the devices and arrangements forproducing the several movements, which willbe specifically described inconnection with the parts they operate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view or plan of myimproved spiketwisting machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the same on line a; as of Fig.

v1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa front view of the jaws and the head in which they are held. Fig. 5 isa sectional side view of the jaws and the head, taken on line 2 z ofFig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a front-end view of the plunger for operatingthe jaws, and Fig. 7 represents a twisted spike.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A is the frame of the machine, supported onlegs B. On top of the frame, at the rear end, is journaled transverselya shaft, to, carrying on one end a balance-wheel, b, and on the oppositeend a fast pulley, e, and loose pulley c.

d d are pinions fixed to shaft a on both sides of the frame A. Saidpinions mesh with spurwheels 0 e on shaft f, placed transversely offrame A in hearings in pillow-blocks f f.

O O are parallel guide-rods, supported at one end in transversebearing-block D and at 5151c opposite end in transverse bearing-block Eis a sliding frame, having atransverse horizontal slot, g, through whichthe shaft f is passed. At the forward end, h, of this frame are rightangular arms h h, with sockets through them for the reception of theends t i of guide-rods C C, said ends projecting back throughbearing-block D and serving as guides and supports for the forward end,h, of the sliding frame E. The rear end of frame E is pro vided with abar, i, which projects through a slot, 2', in standard E, rising fromthe rear end of frame A. Standard E and ends 6 z' of guide-rods 0support frame E and allow it a free reciprocating motion. .Between sidesj j of frame E a cam, F, is fixed to shaft f, and

at the front and rear of said cam are frictionrollers l l on. axesjournaled in the sides j 3', so that when the cam is revolved by theshaft fit strikes one of the rollers-say Zand moves frame E back, andwhen said cam reaches the opposite side of shaft f from roller l (if theframe E has not been drawn forward by an arrangement that will be fullydescribed hereinafter) it strikes roller 1 and forces frame E forward.In this way, by means of cam.

F, a sliding reciprocating motion is given to frame E.

G is the rotary head which carries the jaws for clasping and twistingthe spike. Said head is provided with a hollow shaft or gudgeon, m,which has its bearing in the block D. Shaft or gudgeon m is held in itsbearing by a collar, a, fixed to the rear end, a, which projects backthrough block D. On the periphery of the collar n is a spur-gearing, 0,which meshes with a pinion, 0, fixed to shaft p, held in bearings 19 p.Said shaft 19 carries at its rear end a beveled gear-wheel, p, whichmeshes with a beveled pinion, 19', fixed to shaft to, so that when shaft0, is rotated it communicates rotary motion through shaft p to the shaftor gudgeon on and head G.

H is a plunger-shaft passed through hollow shaft m. The rear end, q, ofshaft H is pivoted in the end h of frame E, and said end q is held inconnection with frame E by screw-collars q g, which prevent the end gfrom drawing out of the hole in end h, but at the same time allow it torotate freely, so that when frame E is reciprocated it slides shaft Hback and forth in the shaft m, for a purpose that will be presentlydescribed.

The shaft H projects from the shaft m into the socket r of head G, andwithin socket r are four wings, r r r r, radiating from shaft H at rightangles to each other. (See Fig. 6.)

Head G is provided with four radial slots,.

8 s s s, at right angles to each other, which extend from the socket 1through the Walls of the said head.

The jaws are designated by the letter 25. They extend outside of headGr, but have extensions t, which are placed in the slots 8 and heldthere by pivots t in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 5. The outeredges, u, of extensions t are curved to form segments of true circles.On curved edge a are placed fiat springs a, the outer ends whereof arefixed to the extensions t, while the free ends a bear againstlt-hecurvedwalls u of the slots 8. The action of the springs to is to keep thejawst open, as shown in Fig. 5.

The rear ends of extensions 15 are formed into downwardly-curved fingers'v, and on the inside edges of said extensions are formed fingers '2).When the shaft H is placed in shaft m and head G the wings r are heldadjacent to the inside edges of extensions t, between fingers v 22, sothat by moving shaft H out or forward the forward ends of wings r strikefingers t, and by turningthe extensions t on their pivots open the jawst; but when said shaft is drawn back the inclined back edges of wings rstrike fingers v, throw the rear end of the extensions 25 up, and closethe jaws t.

This opening and closing of the jaws can be produced by the cam F,reciprocating frame E, and plunger-shaftH; but as it is necessary thatthe jaws should be opened more quickly than the frame E is moved by thecam F, the springs 20 are provided to open said jaws. When the springs athrow the rear ends of the extensions t down, the fingers c, strikingagain st the wings r, throw the shaft H and frame E forward before thecam F reaches the friction roller Z but in case of afailure of thesprings u to act, or the jaws t should stick from any cause, the cam F,striking roller 1, will force the frame E and shaft H forward, and thewings r, striking the fingers 1;, will force the jaws t open.

The mechanism for carrying the spikes to the jaws and holdin gthemwhilebeing twisted consists of a carriage, I, placed in the spacebetween the two sides of frame A. Said carriage has two arms, I lextending up at either end through horizontal holes o, wherein arepassed the guide-rods O 0, so that the said carriage will slide freelyback and forth on said guide-rods. From the upper ends of arms I projecthorizontally short shafts, 'v, with pivots 11 projecting from the ends.On these pimts 12 are held the forward ends of connetting-rods J J. Theopposite ends of said rods J J are pivoted to crank-pins w w onspur-wheels 6. By the rotation of spur-wheels e a reciprocating motionis communicated through connecting-rods J to carriage I. From the underside of carriage I depend two rods, w w. To the lower ends of rods wisscrewed a plate, I, carrying at each end friction-rollers to", whichbear against the under edge of rail J, which is held at each end inhangers K K, depending from the under side of frame A. The upper edge ofrail J is V-shaped, and is divided into two parts, a; 00, connected byan incline, y, the part as being higher than"- part 00.

The friction-rollers w, bearing against the under edge of rail J,steadies the movements of the carriage I and prevents said carriage fromlifting, and thus relieves the guide-rods O G from strain.

L is a U-shaped frame placed on carriage I in an inverted position, andsecured thereto in any suitable manner. In the sides a a. of frame L arevertical transverse slots 00'.

M is a plate having on its edges flanges I) b and in its lower end arecess, 0. Plate M is placed between sides a a of frame L with itsflanges b in slots a. Plate M is attached to the upper end of plate M,and is connected by means of set-screws d d with the arms d d of frameL. y means of screws (1 (1 plate M can be set higher or lower in frameL. In recess 0 of plate M is pivoted a V-grooved wheel, 0.

N is a plate placed in frame L below plate M. Plate N has flanges on itsedges, which project into slots a, and arecess, o, in which is pivoted aV-grooved wheel, 6, immediately under and in line with wheel 6. Plate Nis held in a vertical position in a mortise, e, in frame L and carriageI, and in its lower end is a V- grooved roller, f which rests on theV-edge of rail J, so as to run freely back and forth thereon. A verticalmovement is given to plate N for .the purpose of opening and closing thewheels e e, which I call the holding-die wheels, ti eir office being tohold the spike against turning while the twist is being given to it bythe "evolving jaws t. It is necessary that these die-wheels e 0 shallopen to allow the head of the spike to pass through and then close onthe shank of the spike, and this opening and closing is brought about bythe movement of plate N, which is produced in the following manner:Plate N is held in a vertical position in mortise 6, but is not fastasbefore mentioned, is dividedinto two parts,

00 00, connected by an-incline, y. When roller f is on the higher part,00, the die-wheel e is held up to the die-wheel e; butwhen roller f ison the lower part, a", die-wheel e is lowered away from die-wheel e,leaving sufficlent space for the head of the spike to pass between saiddie-wheels c 0. Therefore when the mach'ae is in motion and the carriageis being reciprocated to and from the revolving jaws t, and it movesaway from the jaws in the direction of arrow 1, the rollerf, passingdown the incline y to lower part, at, of rail J, lowers diewheel 0, sothat the head of the spike (which is at that moment fed out by thefeeding meclr anism) passes between said die-wheels. The carriage thenmoves toward the jaws t, and the wheel f passing up the incline y,closes the diewheels e c, which clasp the shank of the spike in theV-grooves in their peripheries and carry the spike to the revolving jawst. The head of the spike passes between jaws t, which at that moment areclosed down upon it. At the same moment when thejaws clasp the head thecarriage commences to move back in the direction of arrow 1, theV-wheels e 0 roll along the shank of the spike, but hold it firmlyagainst turning, and the revolving jaws t twist the shank of the spikefrom the head thereof toward die-wheels e e, the twist followingimmediately behind the wheels 0 e as they move back. By the backwardmovement of the holding-die wheels 6 e from the jaws t an even twist isgiven to the shank, extending its whole length, and forming aspiralshank such as that shown in Fig. 7. The distance traveled by carriage Ifrom the jaws t for the wheel fto reach the incline 3 should equal thelength of the shank of the spike, so that when the wheel 1'' passes downthe incline y and the die-wheels e c are opened the end of the shankwill have passed out of said die-wheels, and, as the jaws it open at thesame moment, the spike is thereby released and it drops to the floor,while another spike is fed between die-wheels e e, and the operationproceeds as before.

The feeding mechanism consists of a V- shaped trough, O, behind carriageI, and in line with die-wheels ce. Said trough is supported by across-head, P, which slides on guide-rods G. The rear end of the troughis formed into a cylinder, P, which projects through a guide-hole, g, inbearing-block D. A slot, g, in the upper side 0:" the cylinder receivesthe end of a pin, g which prevents the cylinder. and trough from beingthrown forward too far by the spiral splln gs 9, wrapped around theguide-rods O 0, between the bearings of cross-head P and the block D,the 0ffice of said springs 9 being to throw the trough 0 toward carriageI.

Q is a triangular plunger placed in trough 0, where it is held by aguard, h, placed over the top of the trough. Plunger Q is provided witharms h, and from these arms a shank, h, extends back through cylinder P.The end of said plunger projecting through the end of the cylinder isprovided with a nut, i, to prevent the plunger from being drawn out fromthe trough. Shank h is wrapped with a spiral spring,j, one end whereofbears against are on opposite sides of the trough O, and in v the forksl is placed arm h, as clearly shown in Fig. l. Lever It extends belowshaft 70, and its lower end, m, is pivoted to one end of a horizontalrod, on. The rod m is passed loosely through a hole in car a, projectingfrom one of the rods w. (See Fig. 3.) 0n the end of rod m, beyond theear n", is a nut, m.

The operation of this part of the invention is as follows: hen thecarriage I moves back in the direction of arrow 1 its arms I, coming incontact with the cross-head P, force the crosshead and trough 0 back,the springs g readily allowing the cross head to move back. When thecarriage moves toward the jaws t the springs force the cross-head P andtrough after it until the pin 9 reaches the end of slot g and stops theforward movement of the said trough and cross-head. As the carriageadvances toward the jaws to carry the spike last fed to the die-wheels ce the car a, coming in contact with the nut m on red m", turns thelevers R It in the direction of arrow 3, and these levers move theplunger Q back in the trough 0, so that when the carriage I reaches theend o its movement toward the jaws t the plunger, is sufficiently farback in the trough to allow space for a spike in the trough 'O. Thespike is placed in the trough by the operator with its head toward thecarriage, and the carriage, moving back from the jaws t, relieves thelevers R R from strain, and the spring j acting on the plunger, forcesit forward toward the approaching carriage I, and as the die-wheels c aopen the plunger forces the spike out of the trough, the head passesbetween die-wheelsec, and as the carriage at this point commences tomove back the die-wheels e 0 close up and carry the spike just receivedto jaws t, as before described.

This machine is specially adapted to twist spikes while cold; but it canbe used equally well to twist them while hot.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In machines for twisting spikes, the combinationof the rotary head G, carrying jaws t, the reciprocating carriage I,provided with holding-die wheels 0 c, and the feeding mechanism, thelatter being arranged to co-operate with the carriage and holding-dies,as shown and described.

2. The jaws t, pivoted in slots 8 in head g, and provided with fingers vo, in combination with head Gr, shaft m, springs u, plunger-shaft H,provided with wings 1", frame E, and cam F, all constructed andoperating in the man- IOO .ner and for the purpose substantially ashereing in the manner substantially as hereinbeinbefore described. foredescribed.

3. In combination with the reciprocating 5. In combination with theplunger Q, held carriage I, holding-die wheels 0 e, and verin trough Oand provided with a shank, h,

5 tieally-adjustable plate N, the track J, proand arms h, the spiralspring j on shank 2o vided with the two parts a" 00 and incline y, hlevers RR,fulcrun1ed on shaft 10, rod m", substantially as and for thepurpose described, passed through ear n and provided with a whereby, asthe carriage is reciprocated, the nut, m, and reciprocating carriageI,substanlower holding-die wheel, 0, is alternately lowtially as and forthe purpose hereinbefore de- 10 ered and raised, for the purposespecified. scribed and set forth.

4. In combination with the reciprocating carriage I and holding-diewheels c e, the SILAS WILSON feedingmechanism herein described, consist-Vitnesses: ing in the trough Q in cross-head P, and W. G. DONN, 15plunger Q in trough 0, arranged and operat- O. SEDGWICK.

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